


A Truth Universally Acknowledged

by Taaroko



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 00:21:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5269487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taaroko/pseuds/Taaroko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know that no TV high school lesson can be about anything not relevant to the plot of the episode, so what if Buffy had been studying Pride and Prejudice in English class the week Ford showed up at Sunnydale High? What if they’d just been discussing how misunderstandings can cause huge problems in relationships if neither person ever discusses them? Would Buffy still have been so passive-aggressive with Angel about Drusilla? </p><p>Starts out canon, then goes slightly AU. Set during the Bronze scene in "Lie to Me."</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Truth Universally Acknowledged

“I’m gonna go get a drink,” said Buffy pointedly. If Ford was going to be telling Willow and Xander more embarrassing stories, she didn’t want to be present for them. “Ford? Try not to talk.” She rolled her eyes when all three of them grinned mischievously, then headed over to the bar alone. Before she could attract the attention of one of the Bronze’s employees, Angel appeared at her side. She’d grown so used to him doing this that she didn’t so much as blink this time. However, she didn’t feel very happy to see him after spending an entire twenty-four hours imagining all of the horrible things his little rendez-vous with the pretty black-haired woman could mean.

“Hi,” she said flatly.

“Hey, I was hoping you’d show,” said Angel. He was acting like nothing was wrong. How long had whatever was going on between him and that woman been going on? She decided to test him.

“So,” she said. “What’d you do last night?”

“Nothing,” he said blandly.

“Nothing at all,” said Buffy. “You ceased to exist?”

“No, I mean I stayed in,” he said, shrugging. “Read.”

Buffy’s insides, which had already spent most of the day writhing unpleasantly, felt like lead. Her first instinct would have been to turn around and head straight back to her friends, maybe flaunt her friendship with Ford so that Angel could get a small taste of the hurt and jealousy she was feeling, but then she remembered the discussion in English class about _Pride and Prejudice_. Darcy and Elizabeth were obviously soulmates, but they’d wasted months because they were never upfront with each other about their issues, and by the time they finally did talk about them, it turned into a huge mess that cost them even more time. Buffy didn’t want her life to be like a Regency romantic comedy. She also didn’t particularly want Angel to confirm her suspicions that he was cheating on her, but if she didn’t ask him about it, she’d be miserable anyway. What did she really have to lose?

She forced herself to look into his eyes. “I saw you at the playground,” she said.

Surprise flashed over his features, and then he dropped his gaze to the floor, looking pained.

“Who was that woman?” she asked. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Depending on what Angel said next, she would either regain her footing and move back to stable ground, or she’d fall over and shatter on the rocks below.

“Drusilla,” said Angel. “She came to Sunnydale with Spike.”

“So she’s a vampire?” said Buffy.

The pain in Angel’s expression intensified sharply. “Yes,” he said, still not looking at her.

“Why were you kissing her?” said Buffy. She was making a valiant effort not to cry, but her voice still cracked a little.

At this, he abruptly met her gaze, his brow furrowed. “I didn’t kiss her,” he said.

“But I saw—” said Buffy. Before she could finish, one of his hands was cupping the side of her face.

“I didn’t kiss her,” he repeated. “I found her about to attack a little boy,” he said. He withdrew his hand, looking a little sheepish. “After that, well…Drusilla doesn’t really care about other people’s personal space.”

For the first time since last night, Buffy felt hopeful. Maybe it really was just a misunderstanding, like Elizabeth thinking Darcy had ruined Wickham’s life.

Angel took a step closer to her. “Buffy,” he said, in that way that always made her melt, still looking her straight in the eyes, “you’re the only one I’ve kissed in a very long time.”

Buffy smiled, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him. He kissed her back, and as it went on, she reveled in feelings of relief, happiness, and quite a lot of possessiveness—until she remembered she was in a public place and her friends were bound to start wondering where she’d gone soon. Then she broke away, blushing a little and glancing around. “Should I be worried about Drusilla?” she asked.

Some of the pain was back in Angel’s face. “This isn’t the place to discuss it.”

She looked at him shrewdly. Awash in her own misery as she had been before, she hadn’t been as sympathetic to his, but now she was. “You look like you’d rather not discuss it anyplace,” she said gently.

“It’s not a pretty story,” said Angel.

Buffy reached for both of his hands. “You can tell me anything, Angel. We’re dating now. We’re supposed to tell each other things. Whatever it is, it’s not going to scare me away.”

Judging from his expression, he wasn’t entirely convinced. She’d just have to prove it when they were alone and he told her. “Come on,” she said. “I want to introduce you to one of my old friends from Hemery.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic happened because I just watched "Lie to Me," and also because I'm obsessed with Pride and Prejudice.


End file.
